New things to do | New music and entertainment venues | New outdoor spaces | New food and drink offerings | New Places to Stay
Greater Manchester is set for a very exciting 2023. Not only has the city-region been named a must-see destination for the year ahead by National Geographic, Lonely Planet, TimeOut and Conde Nast Traveller, but there is simply so much going on in the city-region.
Whether you’re planning your first visit, your hundredth visit or you live in Greater Manchester, there’s bound to be a new opening that excites you. As a city-region that doesn’t stand still, Greater Manchester is always looking for the next big thing and it seems 2023 is the year a lot of those plans will come to fruition. With so many new openings coming up, as well as some late last year, there’s plenty to look forward to across Greater Manchester in 2023 and beyond.
We’ve rounded up some of the top new openings in Greater Manchester so that you can schedule them in your diary and make 2023 a year to remember.
New things to do
Manchester Art Gallery’s Fashion Gallery
Towards the end of last year, Manchester Art Gallery opened its first designated Fashion Gallery, nodding to the city’s history as a textile giant and present as home to many UK Fashion brands. To open the Gallery, the exhibition Dandy Style explores 250 years of men’s fashion from the 18th Century to the present day. The exhibition features iconic art and designs by David Hockney, Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. Dandy Style runs until 1 May 2023 so don’t miss out and make sure to keep an eye out for what’s next at the Manchester Art Gallery’s dedicated Fashion Gallery.
Manchester Museum reopens
After a three-year closure, the much-loved Manchester Museum will reopen on Saturday 18 February following a £15 million transformation. The museum will feature a new two-storey extension, exhibition hall, South Asia Gallery, and Chinese Culture Gallery. Its opening exhibition, Golden Mummies of Egypt, will be the UK premiere of Manchester Museum’s first internationally touring exhibition – following a successful tour of the USA and China. The exhibition will run until 31 December 2023 and is a golden excuse to visit the new-look museum (as if you needed one)
Factory International
One of the most highly anticipated new openings for 2023 is a new cultural space for Manchester, Factory International. Factory International will open in the heart of the city in June 2023. The new venue, designed by Rem Koolhaas’s Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), will be home to the biennial Manchester International Festival and will feature an opening exhibition from Yayoi Kusama titled You, Me and the Balloons, featuring spectacular inflatable sculptures. Its standalone premiere production will open in October 2023 with Free Your Mind, an immersive performance based on The Matrix films and directed by Danny Boyle.
New music and entertainment venues
House of Books & Friends
House of Books & Friends is a unique Manchester coffee shop set inside an impressive Victorian Gothic former club, whose members included Winston Churchill. But don’t be fooled, this is no ordinary bookshop. The social enterprise opened in December 2022 to combat social isolation following the pandemic and has created a space for people to meet, discuss books, shop and enjoy the café. Books, coffee and friends, what could be better?
New Century Hall
New Century, a legendary music venue whose past performers include Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones, has been reborn. The iconic venue re-opened its doors in September 2022 in the NOMA area of the city and has proven a popular spot ever since. The 800-capacity venue comes complete with a sprung dance floor and 60’s style “disco ceiling” alongside an all-new food and drinks space with six vendors, including a butty shop concept from renowned local chef Adam Reid, bao’s from Baobros23, Wild by Ply pizza, Zumuku Sushi, and Tallow steaks and burgers. It’s the perfect venue for music, dancing and delicious dishes.
AO Arena expansion
While many of you will have been to the AO Arena before, the UK’s biggest arena is set to become even bigger in 2023, thanks to a new £50m reconstruction project that will raise the 21,000-person capacity to 22,900. AO Arena will create brand-new entrances, premium experiences, custom-designed lounges, and premium seating. Plus, the venue’s production areas will be dramatically upgraded with a complete overhaul of the backstage experience for artists, production, and crew. So make sure you take a look at what’s coming up in the latter half of this year to see the completed project.
Co-op Live
With construction well underway adjacent to Manchester’s Etihad Stadium, Co-op Live is preparing to open its doors to 23,500 fans in December 2023. The venue will be a hugely exciting addition to Manchester’s live entertainment scene. Plans show Co-op Live will feature an impressive 32 bars, restaurants and lounges, sourcing enticing homegrown food and drink across its four levels. With a music-first focus, Co-op Live will host over 120 major live events in its first year and will feature an innovative ‘smart bowl’, bringing fans closer to the music and built specifically with acoustics in mind to enhance the live experience.
METRIX: immersive football experience
Following a successful pop-up run, new football experience METRIX will open with a permanent site at The Trafford Centre in late 2023. Players will get the chance to play physical and virtual games with smart technology and virtual reality, and live data will track ball speed, power, touch and accuracy for players to compare with their friends.
New outdoor spaces
RHS Garden Bridgewater expands
Two years after opening, Salford’s RHS Garden Bridgewater will add two new garden highlights in 2023. The garden is proving to be a much-loved escape in Greater Manchester and expansion will mean even more natural space to explore. There are also plans in place for the addition of the first of a series of structures at its Chinese Streamside Garden –a music pavilion. The ever-popular gardening project is one of Europe’s largest and has further plans to expand, giving you even more reason to visit in 2023.
Castlefield Viaduct
If you haven’t visited Castlefield Viaduct yet, then make 2023 the year you do. The National Trust has taken the first 330m of a long-abandoned Grade II-listed railway bridge to create Castlefield Viaduct, a new urban park reminiscent of New York’s The High Line. It’s a charming green space that oozes Manchester style and offers a unique view of the city skyline. After years of locals calling out for the space to be transformed, the attraction opened the first phase of a public consultation which could see it extended to up to 1km. The park features planting that reflects Manchester’s industrial heritage and will change throughout the seasons, so it’s worth a visit.
GM Ringway
Broken down into 20 stages, and covering a 300-km route, the GM Ringway is a new walking trail starting in the city centre and covering all ten boroughs of the Greater Manchester region. It’s a great way to get some fresh air, stretch your legs and take in the best views of the city-region. Visitors will be able to join any one of the twenty stages by public transport, with traffic-free routes. Ramblers will pass more than 40 Grade II and II*-listed buildings, and 14 scheduled ancient monuments, whilst taking in stunning views of the Peak District and the valleys of the South and West Pennines.
Northern Roots: urban farm project
Plans for the UK’s largest urban farm and eco-park have progressed at Northern Roots, a 160-acre site in Oldham, 30 minutes outside of Manchester City Centre. The green space is already open for exploration, planting and exploring one of the 12 bee hives, with wider plans for Summer 2023 to add a new visitor centre with a shop and café, a learning space, a swimming pond, a natural amphitheatre and a large market garden. This is a great excuse to get back to nature and make the most of more green space across the city-region.
Mayfield Park
One of the biggest openings of last year was Mayfield Park, the city’s first new public park in over 100 years. If you haven’t visited yet, add this addition to your must-visit list in 2023 and take in a piece of history. Mayfield Park is a 6.5-acre park adjacent to Piccadilly Station. Complete with 142 trees, 120,000 plants, and a children’s play zone with six slides, Mayfield Park is woven around the historic River Medlock, which is now teeming with biodiversity following an extensive clean-up effort. Open from Dawn until Dusk, visitors to the park will also benefit from neighbouring food venue Escape to Freight Island, with further cafes, restaurants, homes and businesses set to be constructed around the park in the coming years.
New Food and Drink offerings
The year ahead looks to serve up a delicious selection of eateries ready to delight your tastebuds. Here are just some of the highlights:
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Firstly, Diecast will kick off the year by opening a colossal food and drink space set inside a former metals factory. Opening in February, the 3,000-capacity food hall will also feature a brewery, night market, urban garden, and beer hall.
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Also opening in early 2023 is Soho House. The prestigious member’s club is opening its first Northern location by taking over three storeys of the former Granada TV studios. Soho House Manchester will offer a restaurant, private members club and music venue.
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Gordan Ramsay will open Lucky Cat, the sister restaurant to his London Mayfair pan-Asian in 2023.
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The Schofield Brothers will take over the dining concept with The Stock Market Grill at The Stock Exchange Hotel serving up traditional, well-loved British dishes executed with The Schofield Brothers’ famous flair and using local, high-quality produce.
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Once a much-loved pop-up, Higher Ground will return in 2023 with a permanent site focusing on natural wine and locally sourced ingredients.
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One of Manchester’s newest hotels LEVEN will open the highly anticipated MAYA their canal-side restaurant serving modern European classics.
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Popular Ramen and dumpling spot House of Fu will open a new restaurant in 2023, complete with a late-night bar and karaoke.
New Places to Stay
Forty-Seven
Set to be one of Manchester’s most luxurious new hotels, Forty-Seven will open in spring 2023 with 32 lavish one and two-bedroom suites in a Grade-II listed former shipping warehouse on vibrant Peter Street. Guests can expect luxury and bold, statement styles in every inch of this boutique hotel. Restaurant Asha’s, run by Bollywood legend Asha Bhosle, has now reopened at its original location within the hotel to serve guests, and a new bar at The Peterman will offer a glamorous spot to enjoy hand-crafted cocktails, drinks and light bites.
Treehouse Hotel Manchester
The 216-bedroom Treehouse Hotel Manchester will open this spring as the brand’s second UK location, with a £200m redevelopment of a former hotel on Deansgate. The hotel is based around playful details and modern sensibility to create an offering for Manchester visitors. Offering panoramic views from its rooftop terrace, and colourfully designed pet-friendly rooms, Treehouse prioritises playfulness and freedom, to ensure your stay is memorable. Treehouse has announced a line-up of food and drinks offers from celebrated Manchester chefs including restaurateurs Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford of The Refuge fame, Mary-Ellen McTague from Chorlton’s The Creameries, and Sam Grainger behind revered Madre.
Malmaison Manchester Deansgate
This spring Malmaison will open their second property in Manchester. The boutique Malmaison Manchester Deansgate will open just steps from the city’s biggest shops and bars. Offering views out across the iconic Albert Square and Manchester Town Hall, 70 guest rooms will pay homage to retro 60s and 70s design in a colourful and quirky style sure to brighten up your stay. The brand’s famous Chez Mal Brasserie will serve food, alongside SORA, a rooftop bar with panoramic views.
Mollie’s
From the team behind Soho House, Mollie’s Manchester will take over the historic site of the former Granada Studios in the brand-new St John’s neighbourhood – once home to TV soap Coronation Street. Opening in September 2023 with 140 rooms, the hotel will feature a 164-cover diner restaurant, private hire event spaces, a lounge bar with live music, plus an outdoor heated terrace with an outdoor pool. Mollie’s aims to transform affordable travel with a sleek and stylish take on 50s American Motel design. There’s nothing old school about Mollie’s, but it’s sure to become a Manchester classic.
The Reach at Piccadilly
Part of Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio of hotels, The Reach at Piccadilly will open as a new 215-bedroom upscale hotel just 90 seconds walk from Manchester Piccadilly train station, a location ideal for travellers. Guests will also be able to wine and dine while watching the boats pass through Lock 84, offering a piece of tranquillity in the city and creating the perfect respite for travelling visitors. Taking over a former aparthotel, rooms will feature a natural design with materials inspired by the surrounding Pennines like wool, cotton and timber, whilst all-day dining will use locally sourced produce, speciality small plates, and beer from local brewers.
To find out more about what’s new in Greater Manchester for 2023, download the Visit Manchester Insider’s Handbook.
To discover what events are going on in the city region, from Oldham to Wigan and everything in between, visit our What’s On page.